Samsung unveiled its supersized entertainment-focused tablet back in October, and now – four and a half months later – it’s finally launched on Verizon priced at $599.99, running Android 5.1.1.
Samsung EV Charging Stations by Iotecha – Samsung EV Charging Stations from IoTecha & Samsung Not surprising to see Samsung hooking up with Iotecha for EV charging stations.
New updated Grubbrr section highlighting the different kiosk models that they offer their customers. Looks to us like Pyramid [7 units] are providing the units.
Offer customers an easy-to-use self-service kiosk as an easy and safe alternative to traditional ordering. Our customizable solution drives revenue by eliminating long lines and offering the perfect upsell with every order – happier customers mean better business.
Headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, GRUBBRR is a technology company dedicated to providing your business with the perfect ecosystem of products to maximize operational efficiency and ensure customer satisfaction. We offer technology that will efficiently take care of the front- and back-end of your business, while giving you the flexibility to manage everything as effectively as possible.
We do business with a variety of industries, ranging from restaurants to amusement parks to micro-markets and more. Our products are adaptable and beneficial to a multitude of businesses. Find out how we can help your business today.
The lidar scanner is moving into restaurants and retail in the United States and Japan. You can see that in the Amazon Grab and Go & Just Walk Out for example.
One company at the forefront is Hitachi-LG Data Storage from Korea. They have a Safe Pass product line which covers standalone terminal stations as well as a ceiling mount.
Hitachi Safe Pass Product LIne – Click for full size
Features of the Floor Stand, Table Stand and Ceiling Mount
People tracking and heat map
hand detection
queue monitoring
density measurement
dwell time
POE option
Plug and Play with Cloud
Integrated thermal sensors with AI facial recognition
Distance and Frame Rate from 10m/30 fps to 13m/30fps
Ticket Kiosk Amtrak Ticket Machines Next Generation 2021
Amtrak Ticket Kiosk – click for full size image
From Global Railway Review November 2021 — Amtrak announced that it is introducing over 200 new kiosks in more than 150 stations across the United States.
In Brief
200 new kiosks “to be deployed” and they look to be from Embross – scheduled thru Fall 2021
Key phrase — consistent with other Amtrak digital channels that allows for a minimum touch experience for the most common in-station transactions.
Amtrak’s Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing and Revenue Officer, Roger Harris, said: “As we continue to modernize our trains and stations, we are concurrently providing modern amenities to our customers, and we are accomplishing that goal with the new Amtrak kiosk. Our customers can trust that they will have an easy, convenient and fast experience when using these new kiosks to book or print a ticket for their next trip.”
Dunkin’ Donuts has opened a new concept store designed for customers on the go, featuring what the company says is the first drive-thru exclusively for mobile orders.
Among the concept store’s other features are kiosks where people can order without the help of a staffer, a dedicated area where people who ordered using the chain’s mobile app may pick up their food and drinks and a bigger grab-and-go section, including GoGo Squeez applesauce, Yoplait yogurt parfaits and beef jerky.
PopPay’s double-sided tablet takes face payments at Dog Haus and Fresh Brothers Pizza in the Los Angeles area. See how they do it!
PopID’s kiosks use facial recognition to give customers the ability to update/redeem their loyalty/rewards and pay using their face across multiple restaurant locations. Credit card information is tokenized using Datacap’s payment solutions such that PopID can initiate payments in-store or online without storing cardholder data in any capacity.
In addition to data security, this omnichannel approach to payments fosters a universal experience across all channels, empowering PopID to create forward-thinking, friction-free payment solutions for their customers.
“Our technology has been in development since around 2016, but COVID-19 has accelerated the rollout of our kiosks and enter-by-face technology,” said John Miller, the chairman of PopID’s parent company, Cali Group.
We attended the Chipotle session with Scott Boatwright, Chief Restaurant Officer for Chipotle and it was a great session. And today there is a terrific interview on Cheddar
Chipotle Looks to the Future with Crypto, AI and Roblox Following Earnings Report
Thanks to inflation, Chipotle’s customers are paying extra for more than just guacamole, but most apparently don’t care, as the fast-casual chain said in its earnings report that price hikes helped boost profits in its most recent quarter, which sent the stock surging today. Curt Garner, chief technology officer of Chipotle, joined Cheddar News’ Closing Bell to discuss how Chipotle is embracing new technologies like artificial intelligence, the metaverse, Roblox — and cryptocurrency. “We do accept crypto through a partnership with Flexa, in our restaurants and our digital channels,” Garner said. It’s a partnership that we’re excited about. … We had a lot of customers that were asking for a crypto option as payment within our restaurants, and we’re proud to put this partnership together and deliver that.”
Scott covered many topics in his session and took many questions as well.
Here are some pics
A man stands smiling in front of a CREATE the experience demo kiosk at the restaurant tradeshow, with a screen displaying graphics. In the background, several people mingle in the bustling conference hall.
A wall display titled Thank You to Our Sponsors showcases logos of various sponsors categorized under Founding, Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Supporting tiers—including brands like Johnsonville Foodservice and Coca-Cola—set against an office backdrop at the bustling restaurant tradeshow.
A person in a plaid suit speaks into a microphone while seated onstage at a restaurant tradeshow. Theres a CREATE the experience banner behind them, setting the scene. Another person is partially visible, holding a notepad and capturing key moments of the discussion.
A man and a woman are seated on stage at the restaurant tradeshow, engaging in a lively discussion. The backdrop features the repeated phrase CREATE the expectation. The man wears a blue suit, while the woman holds a microphone and a notebook.
Two women smiling and posing in front of a Ripple display booth at an indoor restaurant tradeshow. They are wearing matching teal shirts and lanyards. A drink dispenser is on a table to their left, enhancing the lively atmosphere in the conference or expo room.
Two women are smiling and standing together indoors at a restaurant tradeshow. Both are wearing name tags and business attire. The background features a brown wall and double wooden doors.
An older man stands on a small stage at the restaurant tradeshow, holding a microphone. Behind him is a backdrop and a solitary chair. The room is empty, with rows of vacant seats, and the floor is carpeted.
A gray kiosk labeled COURT stands in an urban plaza, covered in a Smartwater ad featuring a model. Nearby, concrete planters brim with colorful flowers amid tall buildings, creating a vibrant backdrop that feels reminiscent of a bustling restaurant tradeshow scene.
Street view of a bustling city intersection with tall buildings in the background, including a Sheraton hotel. Amidst the parked cars, a kiosk advertises a restaurant tradeshow alongside an image of someone using a Visa card.
With Google tools, you can create, publish, and deploy apps that make Chrome OS devices do even less. That’s a good thing. Andy Wolber explains.
Source: www.techrepublic.com
The process takes three steps: create the app, upload it to the Chrome Web Store, then deploy the app to managed Chrome devices. (Even if you don’t have managed Chrome devices, you can complete the first two steps to learn how the process works. Use Chrome while logged in to your Google Account for the following steps.)
Chris Baird – Executive Vice President at OptConnect
OptConnect offers machine to machine wireless service for Smart Safes, ATMs, Kiosks, Digital Signage, Facility Management, and many other industry sectors. Rather than simply providing hardware or network service, OptConnect offers a completely managed service designed to make your data connection simple and reliable.
Anyone used to dealing with a large amount of cash knows hard currency can save a lot of money in purchase transaction fees and other expenditures. Having cash on hand can also create a number of additional problems. While credit card transactions are automatically authorized, processed and deposited, those handling paper payments must deal with counterfeit currency, and a stack of bills and change waiting to be taken to the bank.
Fortunately, technology has finally seen fit to help alleviate some of these cash difficulties through the introduction of the smart safe or intelligent safe.
OptConnect is North America’s leading provider of managed service wireless connectivity for ATMs, Kiosks, Digital Signage and other custom applications. OptConnect revolutionizes the way machines communicate, providing for fast and secure connectivity, cost savings, and greater reliability. OptConnect offers end-to-end managed service providing customers with the greatest level of service and uptime.
The next webinar in the U.S. AccessBoard‘s free monthly series will take place March 1 from 2:30 – 4:00 (ET)and feature an open question-and-answer session. Questions are welcome on any of the Board‘s guidelines or standards, including the ADA and ABA Accessibility Standards and new standards for medical diagnostic equipment, as well as other topics related to the work of the Board. Questions can be submitted in advance or during the session.
Visit www.accessibilityonline.org for more information or to register. Webinar attendees can earn continuing education credits. The webinar series is hosted by the ADA National Network in cooperation with the Board. Archived copies of previous Board webinars are available on the site.
“I would say that, for the employees, it’s actually allowed them to interact on their terms,” Watson said regarding how it has benefitted the employees at his store. “It’s a little more of a personal experience. We used to have a 6-step process on greeting customers, like robotic, you (did) these steps over and over again. … Now it’s more personalized (because) we allow the employees to engage with the customers and greet them within reason. So a younger employee will greet a younger customer with ‘Hey man, what’s up?’”
It had been the worst faller on the market since the EU referendum; its share price had fallen more than 40 per cent from June 23 to when the FTSE opened yesterday.
The global self-service kiosk market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 4.67 percent by 2021, according to a new report by Research and Markets.
The report examines kiosks by components, type and application.
Source: www.retailcustomerexperience.com
Article is TOC of latest marketsandmarkets report for sale (India).
“By visiting these kiosks and taking three to five minutes of their time to fill out a survey, they’re able to give us input year-round,” said Julia Lash, program manager of the Office of Grant Management & Community Development. “That data is extremely important.”
New York City’s public Wi-Fi kiosks aren’t sufficiently accessible to blind people, according to claims made in a lawsuit filed Thursday by attorneys representing advocates for the disabled.
The kiosks include Braille labels next to a 911 button and a headphone jack. The kiosk’s touch-screen tablet is also at a level so that those in a wheelchair are able to use it, according to a CityBridge spokesman.
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Mindy Jacobsen, a 65-year-old Brooklyn resident, is one of three blind residents suing the city. Last week, Ms. Jacobsen, who teaches technology courses in Manhattan, said she plugged her headphones into a kiosk on Eighth Avenue, hoping to use it for directions. But the maps feature was on the touch screen, which Ms. Jacobsen couldn’t use.
A 911 call can only be placed when an on-screen prompt is pressed.
What’s the difference between EMV compliance and PCI compliance? The short answer is they’re both guidelines for protecting cardholder data for the purpose preventing fraud, but they focus on different elements of the credit card transaction.
“To clarify it even further and more simply, PCI is about making sure the card data doesn’t get stolen and is secure in the first place and EMV is making sure if the data IS stolen that the content is rendered useless.” – CPI PCI and EMV: What’s the difference?
My goal for this article is to give a brief overview of each of these standards for protecting cardholders so you have an idea how they impact how you accept credit card payments at your self-service kiosk or POS.
EMV Compliance:
The goal of EMV is to ensure the security and global interoperability of chip-based payment cards.
Includes robust cardholder verification (i.e. Chip and PIN). The particular verification method that is used depends on the card issuer as well as the POS where you make a purchase.
Prevents cards from being cloned through the use of microprocessor on the card which produces unique encrypted output each time the card is used to defeat card skimming.
Requires EMV certification between EMV capable hardware and the processor.
President Obama signed an executive order that requires all government-issued credit cards and readers to come equipped with EMV technology starting 2015.
The EMV specifications are managed by the privately owned corporation EMVCo LLC and was first published in 1995 through a joint effort by Europay, MasterCard, and Visa (hence EMV).
PCI Compliance:
The goal of PCI is to protect cardholder data that is processed, stored or transmitted by merchants.
Follows common sense steps that mirror best security practices including building and maintaining a secure network, protecting cardholder data, maintaining a vulnerability management program, implementing strong access control measures, regularly monitoring and testing networks and maintaining an information security policy.
Requires regular vulnerability scanning by an ASV of Internet-facing environments of merchants and service providers.
Allows organizations to “self-assess” in many cases. Different Self-Assessment Questionnaires (SAQs) are specified for various business situations.
The PCI specifications are administered by the PCI Security Standards Council, which was founded by American Express, Discover Financial Services, JCB International, MasterCard Worldwide and Visa Inc.
Andrew Savala
CEO at RedSwimmer Inc.
Andrew Savala is the CEO of RedSwimmer Inc., creators of the kiosk lockdown software KioskSimple. Andrew has been developing kiosk software since 2007, with an emphasis on self-service retail payment applications.
Katie Kochelek September 18, 2018 Original post on Frank Mayer and Associates, Inc. website
Let’s chat about Amazon for a minute. (Apparently, I’m hardly a pioneer when it comes to conversation topics since Amazon is one of the most widely-talked about companies, but humor me for a second).
No other business comes close to being recognized as the face of e-commerce. In fact, I challenge you to find editorial on retail where the Internet giant isn’t mentioned as a major disruptor to brick-and-mortar stores.
Which is why currently it’s surprising to see more articles reporting on Amazon’s latest moves into this very sector. Is the e-commerce king really expanding (or would it be downsizing?) into four brick walls?
It appears so.
Here’s the latest evidence. We now have Amazon-owned Whole Foods representing the physical grocery market. Add to that partnerships with traditional retailers like Kohl’s and Sears to provide convenient return centers and tire installation locations. Don’t forget Amazon lockers at your local 7-Elevens, and of course we can’t overlook Amazon’s own Amazon Go convenience stores, with two already open in Seattle, and many more rumored to hit major cities across the nation.
Hasn’t Amazon picked up a newspaper? Isn’t retail dead?
Not in the slightest, and Amazon is a good example of why. (And let’s remember they know a thing or two about being successful and all.)
When you look at the list of their latest projects above, it’s evident Amazon isn’t entering the brick-and-mortar space to put its more than 12 million products on shelves. They’re seeing opportunities to provide frictionless physical shopping experiences to the same customers who turn to them when they’re looking for frictionless online shopping experiences. Omnichannel jackpot!
But investing across different channels is to be expected of a conglomerate like Amazon, right? Well yes, but if you’ve had your ear to the ground lately, you might have also noticed that many successful e-commerce sites in various verticals have been entering the world of brick-and-mortar, too.
Examples include eyebobs, an eyewear brand that features bold designs, Wayfair, a home furnishings and décor e-retailer, and online mattress retailer Casper. Even digitally-native athleisure wear company Fabletics is being aggressive with a plan to open 75 stores in the near future.
Why are so many online brands developing a physical presence?
“Digitally native pure-play e-commerce brands are finding it strategically essential to open brick-and-mortar locations if they are looking to scale, because customer acquisition and retention is such a difficult task,” says Alison Embrey Medina, Editor in Chief and Associate Publisher of design:retail. “And the brands that are opening stores are finding that their customers who shop across their channels —online, mobile, AND in their stores – are three times as valuable as the online-only shopper.”
Expansion into these physical locations is helping brands to target not only their existing digital customers but also a new demographic to them – the shopper who wants to experience the products and take advantage of the customer service unique to brick-and-mortars.
Ultimately, no matter how frictionless e-commerce can make our lives, nothing can replace the ability to try on a pair of glasses to ensure they complement our face shape or truly experience what a mattress brand means when describing its product as firm or soft.
That being said, these retail spaces will hardly mimic the traditional store format that has suffered under the convenience of e-commerce. Whether it’s providing exceptional customer service, offering ways to test out products, or appealing to the next generations’ comfort with sharing unique experiences on social media, brands are being mindful to implement experiential retail components into their brick-and-mortar game plan – a growing trend that is serving other big-name retailers well as customer expectations shift. So essentially, don’t expect the outdated store model you’re accustomed to.
The days of customers driving to their local home furnishings store or grabbing the new style of high-rise jeans to try on in the dressing room are certainly not dwindling. By putting a twist on the brick-and-mortar experience, e-commerce sites, of all places, are proving there’s still a demand.
DOVER — Construction of the Orchard Street parking garage has been hard to miss over the last few months — particularly the oversized red crane that lifted dozens of precast parts into place. City officials say the final piece of the 310-space garage…
Automated passport control is just one of the technologies airports are implementing to make international travel easier for passengers.
Source: www.burnsmcdblog.com
Recent News
The New York Times Your Face Is, or Will Be, Your Boarding Pass Returning from Iceland to Chicago O’Hare International Airport in October, I approached the airport kiosk that normally scans your passport
Yahoo Finance — Gilbarco Veeder-Root Partners with Crane Payment Innovations to Offer Cash Automation with Passport® Express Lane™ Self-Checkout — “We created Passport Express Lane specifically for convenience stores … payment solutions to Passport Express Lane self-checkout kiosks,”
Volta released new numbers for the audience that sees its digital signage advertising and we take a closer look at them. As posted on AVIXA
Big numbers were announced for the Volta Media Network with over a billion impressions. Volta deploys EV charging stations at various retail locations. Charging is free but it does come with advertisements. Once again we see digital signage on its endless quest for an authentic ROI. It’s tough when all you have is “presumed impressions”.
There are regulatory issues with EVs that are coming up this month. The U.S. Access Board will issue their ANPRM this month covering EV, kiosks, information transaction machines and POS. Meanwhile my look at the Volta news.
Editor Update – September EV News — 35 states get the green light for $7.5 billion national EV charging network. NEVI.
In Brief
4600 large screens (55 inch outdoor) across the country
Over a billion impressions though there is no explanation for that number basis. e.g. if I go shopping at Kohls for 45 minutes do those 30 minutes of ads count as impressions?
What about people driving by and looking. Are they impression factor?
I have no idea what the average ROAS is for this form of advertising. If you do please let me know. Data firm Quotient calculated one Volta project for Coke as resulting in “$2.51 million in attributable sales and a ROAS 56 percent higher than average”. 56 Percent more than not a lot? Like I said, no idea what average ROAS is.
Roughly 2300 installations given dual-sided kiosks
L2 Charging Speed: 7-10 kWh, or up to 35 miles of range per hour. Note that miles per kWh vary from ~2 to ~4 miles per kWh depending on the efficiency of your make/model.
DC Fast Charging Speed: 50-60 kWh, or up to 210 miles of range per hour depending on your EV.
Free charging (you just get to watch ads)
Interesting too the age demographics of users (see below)
Volta likes to point out the CO2 reduction so sustainable and renewable is part of their strategy.
These units each contain (2) Peerless-AV 55″ XTREME Outdoor Displays. The optically bonded cover glass is extremely strong and perfect for high traffic areas with risk for potential vandalism
Metrics for EV Charging Station Advertisers
Volta further distinguishes itself by offering advertisers a suite of measurement capabilities enabled by collaborations with industry-leading measurement companies. These relationships allow Volta to report on the same full-funnel impact marketers have come to expect from the most notable digital advertising platforms. This includes performance metrics like sales lift and incremental return on ad spend (ROAS)—a new frontier for the DOOH industry. Volta’s ability to meaningfully drive bottom-of-the-funnel results was best demonstrated through two recent campaigns. Working with a leading shopper intelligence platform, Catalina, Volta revealed its ability to deliver an 8 percent sales lift for Dole’s products and increase category share for the brand by 8.5 percent. In a separate campaign for Coca-Cola, Volta, and digital media and promotions technology company Quotient, measured $2.51 million in attributable sales and a ROAS 56 percent higher than average.4
We are not experts on DOOH (we have members who are) but here is case study for Coke and Volta. Volta_Coke_Case_Study
Volta Recommended Locations
Below is the result of one of Volta’s surveys. Typical dwell time at a supermarket is probably 45 minutes so sure, good place for E-charging.
Volta Suppliers
Peerless-AV is the primary producer of these EV Charging Stations / Kiosks. Dual 55 displays. These are the Xtreme 55s
Clear will launch its security clearance services, which verify travelers’ identities through fingerprint and iris scans, at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport.
Aug 2017 — Consumer Reports is removing the recommended designation from Microsoft Surface laptops and tablets. The problem is predicted reliability compared with most other brands.
Source: www.consumerreports.org
Nice video from Frank Olea showing the current production floor. Olea recently doubled its manufacturing space and has added another 40 employees. Who says the pandemic + California presents a downturn in business? Olea is a family business founded in 1975 by Fernando Olea (grandfather to Frank Olea). The feature image shows Fernando working on one of the sustainable kiosks in 2008 from Olea’s very wide portfolio of standard kiosks. Frank’s grandfather Fernando passed away recently.
What you need to know Synopsis
One of the few truly made-in-America companies (there are others)
Doubled manufacturing capacity to provide burst capacity
With clients such as Kaiser Permanente you can be sure that complete (not partial) accessibility engineering is a standard option. When someone says they are ADA-compliant, press a little a harder and ask to what degree and what specific requirements.
One of the first to provide standard large format (42″ & 55″ e.g.) screens (indoor and outdoor)
Has economical small form factor kiosks which can be “beefed up” to include a wide variety of devices not normally found in a small form factor standard kiosk
From the CEO Frank Olea
Adding nearly 40 people in less than a year is challenging. For me the worry is our tight culture. This company has been my whole life, sharing my vision for how great this place can be is so important to me. I spend a lot of time walking the factory floor talking to everyone. Managers down to the forklift driver and janitor. Even working on my Spanish to improve so I can have better conversations. I hear comments that most of these new people never spoke to the CEO at their old place. Well that’s not me! I love my company and want them to love it too. We kick ass and I want them to know they can kick ass with us. [link on LinkedIn]
New York, September 8, 2022: The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is seeking participants to support the development of a roadmap of codes and standards for electric vehicles (EVs) at scale. The roadmap will be developed by the ANSI Electric Vehicles Standards Panel (EVSP).
The roadmap will address critical codes and standards issues including high-power DC charging, storage (i.e., microgrid, distributed energy resource management systems) integrated with DC charging, vehicle grid integration, high-power scalable/interoperable wireless charging, and vehicle-oriented systems. Subject matter experts representing the following types of organizations (among others) are invited to participate:
Vehicle OEMs
Energy service providers (electric utilities, energy retailers)
EV services providers (charging network operators)
EV fleet operators / managers
EVSE manufacturers
Cloud service providers
Providers of telematics user services
Building energy management system operators
Distributed energy resource aggregators
Standards developing organizations
Non-SDO consortia/alliances
Code officials
Government (federal, state, local)
National labs
Those interested in participating are invited to review the panel architecture and schedule of working group calls and sign upfor one or more working groups. The working groups are holding virtual meetings twice a month with subgroups developing content covering specific issues over the next several months. Even those unable to make all the calls can contribute to the document’s development. Public comment on the draft roadmap is targeted for mid-February 2023, and publication of a final roadmap is targeted by mid-May 2023. Participation is open to EV stakeholders that have operations in the United States.
The ANSI EVSP is a consensus-based, cross-sector coordinating body whose objective is to foster coordination and collaboration on standardization matters among public- and private-sector stakeholders to enable the safe, mass deployment of electric vehicles and associated infrastructure in the United States with international coordination, adaptability, and engagement. In the 2011-2014 timeframe, the EVSP developed two versions of a Standardization Roadmap for Electric Vehicles which is available as a historical reference. The current initiative is the result of a June 2021 lab call funding opportunity announced by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE) Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO). The lab call included a codes and standards pillar to “identify and address challenges and barriers to the integration of EVs@Scale charging with the grid created by uncoordinated development of codes and standards and the rapid advances in vehicle and charging technologies.” Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) leads the codes and standards pillar of the EVs@Scale lab consortium formed in response, which also includes National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Idaho National Laboratory (INL), and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL). The EVs@Scale activity also supports federal and state funding associated with deploying EV charging infrastructure nationwide.
There is no fee associated with participating in the EVSP and, ANSI membership, while encouraged, is not required to participate. The DOE VTO/ANL are supporting ANSI’s facilitation of the EVSP roadmapping effort. Sponsorship opportunities (with associated recognition benefits) are available to interested public- and private-sector stakeholders who would like to provide such support. ANSI is a 501c3 not-for-profit membership organization, and all funds are directly applied to help offset ANSI’s costs of administering the EVSP.
“In order to undertake a comprehensive analysis of the codes and standards needed for the scalable deployment of electric vehicles, it is essential that we engage all affected stakeholders. ANSI invites all interested stakeholders to have a seat at the table and participate in this important initiative,” said S. Joe Bhatia, ANSI president and CEO.
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance both the global competitiveness of U.S. business and the U.S. quality of life by promoting and facilitating voluntary consensus standards and conformity assessment systems, and safeguarding their integrity. Its membership is comprised of businesses, professional societies and trade associations, standards developers, government agencies, and consumer and labor organizations.
The Institute represents and serves the diverse interests of more than 270,000 companies and organizations and 30 million professionals worldwide. ANSI is the official U.S. representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and, via the U.S. National Committee, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). For more information, visit www.ansi.org.
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Jim McCabe | Senior Director, Standards Facilitation | American National Standards Institute
25 West 43 Street, 4th Floor | New York, NY 10036 U.S.A.
The pilot store features a bright, free-flowing environment and offers a range of new customer conveniences, such as self-serve shipping stations, that allow online shoppers and small business owners alike to do business quickly and easily:
Drive-thru parcel pickup. Customers never have to get out of their car. At the welcome kiosk, they simply scan the barcode on their smartphone or paper pickup notice, then drive ahead to receive the item at the pickup window. (The canopy will protect them and their item in bad weather). If the parcel is big or heavy, staff will place it in the customer’s vehicle.
All-in-one self-serve shipping station. A unique technology lets customers send their parcels anywhere in Canada 24/7. Using a touch screen, the customer selects their parcel service, scans their item for weight and size, pays by debit or credit card and prints their shipping label. Once they scan the barcoded label and place the parcel in the drop box, a receipt confirms the item is on its way, and ready for them to track online.
A fitting room. Customers can try on the outfit they bought online right away to see if it is right for them. The spacious 50-square-foot private space is equipped with a full mirror and a small bench – like any retail store. If the item isn’t right for them, they have the added convenience of being able to return it immediately.
Self-serve vending kiosk. Customers can buy stamps, shipping supplies such as PriorityTM Prepaid and XpresspostTM Prepaid envelopes or bubble envelopes, gift cards and more. The user-friendly self-serve transactions are quick and customers can avoid lineups at the counter.
Extended hours. While the self-serve kiosks and shipping stations are in a section that’s open 24/7, the centre’s extended full-service hours for the drive-thru, the fitting room and more complex transactions with the help of our staff are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Friday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
The store also offers free Wifi and larger postal boxes for customers. Canada Post can also rent space in the store to other retailers to open a pop-up store, or short-term sales outlet – an emerging retail trend.
For the first half of 2015, the number of parcels from fashion retailers delivered increased by 18 per cent while in the Greater Toronto Area, they grew 28 per cent compared to the previous year. Canada Post delivers two out of three parcels ordered online in the country.
We’re living in a connected society. From point of sale machines to personal computers and mobile devices, tech is everywhere. One benefit of this ever-growing technological world has been the widespread adoption of tablets & the iPad Kiosk. They exist to inform, to sell, to reduce overhead costs and to allow customers more control and empowerment.
The standard in the kiosk world is becoming a product that not only integrates tablets into a secure enclosure, but it’s also about having proper software installed and the correct mounting system as soon as you install a kiosk into your business. Incorporating all these items can’t be an afterthought anymore. Here are a few good examples of why.
Scenario Number One – Sluggish Software You are the owner of a small chain of grocery stores. For quite some time, you have had the idea to install a tablet kiosk checkout solution. You place an order for new tablets, source enclosures for each one and add counter mounts to your checkout area. After hiring a local developer to write your software you begin to test your tablet kiosk solution. Throughout the testing phase everything is performing well, items are scanning correctly and the payment system seems to be working just fine. On launch day your kiosks are set up and ready to go and your customers are loving the new self-service checkout system! More people are using the system than anticipated and because of this, the system is overloaded and crashes. This leaves your customers with a negative in-store experience. Getting software that will stand the high usage demand is crucial!
Scenario Number Two – Unsecure Tablet Enclosures You operate a coffee shop and are trying to install a tablet kiosk payment system. You buy a couple iPad tablets because of their reputation and excellent software. Launch day rolls around and you couldn’t be more pleased with your mount set up and the functionality your tablets are providing. But at the end of the day, your tablets are missing! Upon reviewing the security tapes, it seems that your tablet enclosures are to blame. The locks didn’t quite do their job. If only you had known about this issue before going live you could have saved your business thousands of dollars.
Scenario Number Three– Out of Date Hardware You manage a museum with many complicated exhibits. One day you place an order for several tablets to enhance each experience in your museum. You hire a developer to code software and on the test setup it runs great. Problems arise when you notice that the tablets aren’t able to keep up with your new implementation. They are sluggish and unresponsive to most commands. You have the right software,perfect enclosures and you’ve invested in floor mounts to sit at your key exhibits. The dated tablet hardware has unfortunately made the final product useless.
These three examples show us that the most important factor in adding a successful tablet kiosk solution to any business, isn’t about having just the hardware. It’s not even about having the most user-friendly software. The key to success in this industry is having the whole package. Combine a well-built enclosure and mount, with a modern tablet and reliable software and you hold the key to the best interactive experience for you and your customer.
Does your business have a tablet kiosk? Haven’t installed one yet but thinking about it? Contact us today for more info.
